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A Colorado program that enables college students to remain in highschool for a fifth 12 months to take free school lessons must be realigned to deal with low-income, at-risk college students.
That’s simply one in every of a number of suggestions in a brand new report meant to handle issues with the state’s fragmented workforce readiness packages.
State lawmakers commissioned the report from the Denver-based Slalom Consulting agency, which can current its suggestions Wednesday to the Colorado State Board of Schooling.
The report requires adjustments to the state system so it’s simpler for districts to supply college students profession training alternatives. For instance, the report says the state can consolidate packages into one workplace and create a devoted fund for counselors.
The proposed adjustments would assist extra districts in creating workforce packages with the objective of exposing college students to profession training that results in school credit score, lessons that may result in an trade certification, or on-the-job coaching. The suggestions additionally name for a brand new fund that might assist districts rent extra college counselors, together with profession coaches that assist college students’ aspirations.
Lawmakers commissioned the research after a bigger report on the state of Colorado’s profession training system — known as the 1215 report — revealed a necessity for adjustments if the state needs to graduate extra college students with the abilities for faculty and a profession.
The 1215 report additionally outlined the necessity for additional stories on particular workforce and school packages. Completely different packages are overseen by completely different departments regardless of having related targets.
The Slalom report’s first advice requires consolidating grants and packages into one overarching Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness fund. The change would carry varied packages below one roof and make accessing them simpler for districts.
The second advice says lawmakers ought to then create a categorical fund inside the price range, or a line merchandise particularly for sure packages or college students, that might particularly pay for counselors, at a price of $300.8 million a 12 months. The cash would assist college students as they discover profession fields and school choices.
Creating the explicit fund is likely to be a problem as a result of traditionally these have been underfunded. Within the short-term, lawmakers this 12 months should additionally discover price range cuts.
The report additionally recommends the state standardize tuition agreements to make it simpler to account for program prices, and create reimbursement fashions for sure bills like books and costs.
One notable aspect of Slalom’s report is a name for the state to reassess the Accelerating College students by way of Concurrent Enrollment program, typically known as ASCENT.
ASCENT is without doubt one of the state’s first profession teaching programs and grew in recent times after lawmakers lifted a scholar enrollment cap. This system supplies college students a fifth 12 months of highschool enrollment whereas they attend school, however doesn’t spell out what college students will study.
Newer packages have related buildings however clear workforce targets, comparable to one known as TREP that helps college students get into instructing, and one other known as P-Tech that’s designed to get college students into science, expertise, engineering, or math careers.
Along with questions on its necessities, ASCENT’s prices have additionally elevated. The state has projected it should spend about $18 million on ASCENT within the 2024-25 price range 12 months, greater than quadruple what this system value in 2022. Lawmakers additionally selected to position a cap again on this system.
Lawmakers might shift the $18 million for ASCENT to different packages, the report says.
Some college leaders say this system is essential to maintain college students who’ve a extra difficult academic journey on observe to school and a profession with good pay.
If lawmakers resolve to maintain ASCENT, districts must be reimbursed for prices, fairly than receiving a per-pupil allocation, the report says. This system must also be realigned to deal with low-income, at-risk college students with 15 or fewer credit score hours to assist them full a university credential.
Jason Gonzales is a reporter protecting increased training and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado companions with Open Campus on increased training protection. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
